Why no "situational awareness" (collision avoidance) apps for cell phones?

On Monday, May 7, 2018 at 10:49:19 AM UTC-5, kirk.stant wrote:
On Monday, May 7, 2018 at 1:08:58 AM UTC-5, Mike Schumann wrote:
Please share with me exactly what I am saying about PowerFlarm that is factually incorrect?

Your posts continually claim that PF does not see UAT or TIS-B aircraft. Since you HAVE to have a Mode C transponder to put out UAT ADS-B OUT and TIS-B, the PF will detect the presence of that aircraft - AND Mode S ADS-B out, AND plain Mode S transponders, AND other PF gliders.

Back at you - what setup do you have in a glider that gives the equivalent situational awareness as PowerFlarm? Does it display on commong glider displays? How much does it cost?

Kirk
66

1. You do not need to have a Mode C or S transponder to equip an aircraft with UAT ADS-B Out. If you are exclusively flying in an area where transponders are not required, given the price difference, it is not unreasonable to install a UAT ADS-B transceiver if you want to make yourself visible to ATC and trigger the ADS-B ground stations to get TIS-B and ADS-R traffic.

2. I never said that a PowerFlarm equipped pilot would not see a transponder equipped aircraft. What I have said, which is 100% accurate, is that PowerFlarm does not support TIS-B and ADS-R, so that the situational awareness is not nearly as good as with virtually all other ADS-B receivers. The reality is that when PowerFlarm sees a transponder equipped aircraft, all you know is the altitude of the aircraft, and a rough approximation of its range. You have no way to tell if the aircraft is behind you, off to the side, or in front. If PowerFlarm supported TIS-B (and you were ADS-B OUT equipped and within range of a ground station), you would see the exact position of the transponder equipped aircraft with the same accuracy as is visible on ATC radar.

3. I have a Phoenix Motorglider with a Dynon Skyview system that includes a 1090ES transponder with 2020 compliant ADS-B Out support. The system also includes a dual frequency ADS-B IN receiver which supports TIS-B, ADS-R, as well as providing all the weather and TFR data that is transmitted by the ADS-B ground stations. This is certainly not a system you would put in a normal glider. For that, I would recommend a Trig transponder with a GPS position source for ADS-B Out, along with a Scout ADS-B receiver ($199) feeding the Foreflight app running on an iPhone for ADS-B traffic warnings.